Canadians Design a Portable Radio Station in a Box

Two Canadians have designed a portable FM radio station that is small enough to fit inside a briefcase and will transmit a broadcast from 30 to 100 kilometres.

This carry-on broadcasting unit is an 18-kilo (40 lbs) FM radio kit that can either be powered by electricity, battery or even solar power. As of today, the units will run you between $10,000 to $70,000 however these stations weren’t designed as a luxury item for wannabe DJ’s –it was designed to educate people living in rural areas in Africa.

The idea for the portable radio station was born following a troublesome election in Kenya, the co-founder Peter Onguti told CBC news. He was concerned with the fact that remote areas of Kenya were completely shut-off from information so he approached a telecommunication engineer to build it, and funded the entire project with his own personal savings.

A few dozen of the units have recently been donated and will be used to inform and communicate pertinent information to Africans living in remote areas. The ability to share information is highly critical and this portable FM radio station is another shining example of why I love technology.

Brodie Beta is a technology enthusiast with a passion for gadgets, media and anything related to the Web. She has worked in communications and media for the past nine years. Follow her on twitter here .